Second Look
by AnitaPlant
Summary: My rewrite of the season 4 opener. I figured the best part of the TV show came from the books (Hoyt), so why not go grab another tidbit from the books to liven things up a bit? Maura has a twin sister. Only this time, she isn't dead. Plus, that motorcycle needed to be used differently ;) Trying to stay canon to suggest how good Rizzles could be.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Insert standard disclaimer here. I don't own the show or the characters. Dammit.

Stylish leather heels click confidently along the tile flooring of the station as Maura makes her way through the morning crowd, balancing her matching bag in one hand and a half empty coffee cup in the other. She pauses outside the entrance to the Division One Café, trying to decide if she should top off her gourmet coffee with the station blend. Her eyes flick to the coffee pots as she thinks. That's when she sees her. The corner of her mouth ticks up in a half smile as she notices the familiar long brunette curls cascading down the back of the tall woman standing at the coffee station, struggling with the lid to her cup.

Maura makes a show of checking her watch as she slides in place next to Jane, her hip barely brushing the detective to make her aware of her presence.

"I was hoping you would be late this morning," she says out of the corner of her mouth as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. Her voice is low, almost to the point of being scandalous, "You know, that maybe your date from last night would have turned into breakfast this morning."

Jane whirls around at the sound of the doctor's voice; palms flashing at her sides in mild annoyance.

"Do you _even_ know me?" Jane's voice rises slightly in irritation. She's not really mad at the doctor for the lame blind date setup from last night, but it's hard for her to contain her natural tendency to overreact in her uncaffeinated state.

Maura's eyes immediately widen as she plasters on a fake smile, trying to mitigate the fury of the moody Italian standing in front of her.

"I take it things didn't go well?" Maura asks tentatively.

"Didn't go well?" Jane crosses her arms in front of her chest. Deep, intense eyes stare at the doctor. "It was pure torture." She shakes her head as her eyes float up to the ceiling tiles above her. "You told me he worked with numbers, Maura."

"He does!" A hand flies to the doctor's chest in defense.

"Yeah, well...I thought that meant banker or accountant." Jane's back stiffens. Her voice is low with distaste as she practically spits the next words out, "He was a freaking actuary!"

Maura shakes her head slightly, unsure of why that would be a problem. "So? That's a very prestigious occupation, Jane."

"That's a very boring occupation, _Maura_." Jane counters. She takes in a deep breath, her body relaxing slightly as she picks up her coffee cup and walks over to a vacant table. She slumps into the chair as Maura settles in, all prim and proper, across the table from her.

"All he talked about was the affect rapidly increasing life expectancies made on his probability tables." Jane rubs at her brow, "That is, until I flashed him my gun and told him that his little probability tables didn't mean a whole hell of a lot if he ran in my circles."

Maura cringes at the mental image, "You did not."

"Oh, I most certainly did." Jane says with a cocky grin as she stirs her coffee, recalling the horrified look on Jerry's face last night when he caught sight of her firearm. Poor sucker never stood a chance with Jane Rizzoli.

Maura shakes her head at the detective, her eyes dropping down to her own coffee cup. It is almost too painful to watch. This wasn't the first time Jane's self-sabotaged a date, insuring things wouldn't go beyond the initial meeting.

"You could have gone home before dinner and changed, you know. You really didn't need to bring your gun on the date, Jane." The disappointment is clear on the doctor's face.

Jane shrugs her off, "Nah, I needed it last night. I was going to blow my own brains out if he continued to talk about insurance for another minute."

Maura leans in closer and lowers her voice, "You need to switch into 'Jane mode' and leave 'Detective Rizzoli' at home when you go out with someone new."

Jane's lip snarls slightly. It's the same argument she's heard from Angela countless times. She knows Maura is right, but dammit, that doesn't make it any easier to hear.

She shrugs one shoulder, indifferent to another wasted evening with a man she had nothing in common with.

"I feel more comfortable as Detective Rizzoli."

She means safe, but she doesn't say it out loud. She's almost certain Maura understands her. Too many men in the last four years have made her leery of trusting new people. It's too hard to let anyone new in. They need to be able to put up with the hard, protective shell of Detective Rizzoli before they ever get a chance to meet Jane.

Maura nods and sighs. The corners of her mouth dip into a small frown. She was really hopeful that Jane would have found a connection last night. Not that she really expected Jane to jump into bed with him on the first date, but she was hopeful that she could have at least stretched in out for 2 or 3 dates before she called it quits. At least give him a chance.

It was agonizing to sit by and watch the detective self-destruct time and time again.

_She deserves to be happy, _Maura thinks as she gazes across the table at Jane.

She deserves someone to hold her and love her; to keep her company and end the long lonely nights spent at the station to avoid going home to an empty apartment. She deserves to find someone who appreciates her the way that Maura does.

Jane catches the tiny hint of failure on her friend's face. She especially hates that it's her own fault that it's there in the first place. Maura is just trying to help her, after all. She swallows some pride as she works up the nerve to put herself out there again, even if it is only for Maura's sake. It's worth it just to see the doctor perk up and not be so disappointed in her.

"Okay…," she starts, but then has to pause to gather herself, "So maybe Tony has some other friend you've met that would be a better match for me." She works to quell the natural gagging reflex at that forced statement coming from her mouth.

Maura's head tilts in mild annoyance, "His name is Anthony," she squints her eyes at Jane, "A fact we've been over countless times before." Jane tries but fails to hide the grin that tugs at the corners of her mouth. She loves teasing her about his name, loves getting a rise out of the normally composed doctor.

She knows that's not the name he goes by, but Maura's new boyfriend is a little too slimy for Jane. He reminds her of some of the kids she grew up around; a nice Catholic Italian boy on the outside with a smattering of greasy thug on the inside. Of course, she has no proof that he is anything other than an upstanding citizen of Boston, but Jane has just as much of a hard time trusting men for Maura as she does for herself.

"We need to find you someone by Friday." Maura's face brightens, "I have reservations for four at that new bistro off of 42nd Street. I've been trying to get in there for weeks."

"Oh, great." Jane's face is anything but enthusiastic.

The doctor pulls her phone from her bag and scrolls through her lengthy list of contacts. After a few thumb flicks on the screen, she sets the phone down and Jane watches as Maura mentally runs through the rolodex of potential mates for her in her head as she absentmindedly taps her lip with her finger.

Jane cringes when Maura finally scrunches up her nose.

"What?" Jane barks.

Maura winces slightly, "It's just that I'm running out of possibilities for you. You've shot down all of the names that come to mind already."

"Yeah, well...you have terrible taste in men." Jane takes a sip of her coffee as Maura purses her lips at her. Maura's eyes narrow as she studies the detective.

"Maybe you just need to lighten up a bit and just try to have a little fun. You know, take things one step at a time instead of trying to find the perfect man for marriage and kids."

Jane narrowly avoids a full-fledged spit-take of her coffee. She wipes furiously at her lips to keep the liquid from spilling onto her shirt. "Who said I was looking for someone to marry, for Christ's sakes!" She quickly snatches up a napkin and dabs at the errant drops of coffee that have made their way to the back of her hand.

"All I'm saying is just open up your mind a little. You're very quick to find faults in people. It's a defense mechanism. You use it to avoid intimacy." She blows on her coffee and takes a sip, watching as Jane visibly squirms in her chair at her usage of the word 'intimacy'.

"You have plenty of faults, yet I put up with you on a daily basis." Jane waves a hand up and down in front of the woman across the table from her. She slumps back into her chair, and crosses her legs.

Maura lets the dig go. She's used to Jane using snarky quips in an attempt to derail conversations away from unpleasant topics, like the detective's lackluster love life.

"Yes, but we aren't sleeping with each other, are we?"

"_Jesus_, Maura!" Jane quickly unfurls her legs and leans across the table as her eyes dart around making sure no one heard the doctor.

Jane lets her head fall into her hands. She mumbles into them, something that closely resembles _'it's too early for this shit'_ before she looks back up just enough to find the doctor waiting patiently for Jane to stop over reacting.

Once she has her attention, Maura plows on, undeterred by Jane's attempt to avoid the conversation.

"There's no shame in sharing an emotionally unattached, physically stimulating evening with another consenting adult. It might help you break out of your rut." Maura states matter-of-factly.

Jane's head snaps up, her chair squeaking on the linoleum as she inches closer to the doctor in an attempt to keep the conversation as private as possible_. Jesus Christ, woman. __  
_

Again, her head swivels around the café, but she's unsure if she's desperately looking for back-up to get out of this conversation, or if she's hoping that there isn't anyone within ear shot.

Or maybe she just wants to make sure no one can see the color rapidly rising up her neck.

Because the way the words 'physical' and 'stimulating' rolled off the doctor's lips keeps playing on a never-ending loop in her head.

It takes Jane a moment to refocus before she can speak intelligently.

And when she does, it's out of the side of her mouth, trying to make her voice low enough so that Maura will take the hint that this conversation shouldn't be happening in public (or at all), but instead the words come out slow, deep and raspy.

"I think the term you are looking for is a one-night stand."

The syllables hang in the air like audible sex lingering between them, and Jane can't help the tightness that forms in her chest at the uncomfortable silence that follows.

She breaks eye contact and lets her gaze fall to the table. That's when she sees it.

Sees that her chair has somehow miraculously gravitated towards the doctor during their conversation, edging its way around the perimeter of the table so that their knees are now touching. Her hand has totally betrayed her, sliding over to cover Maura's forearm on the table as she leaned in to speak, as if the doctor was somehow going to get up to leave in the middle of their conversation.

_Son of a bitch_.

It all makes the innocent words seem more intimate than intended, or at least than she consciously intended.

Funny thing is; none of it seems to faze the doctor.

She waves a hand dismissively, "You can call it whatever you'd like, Jane. All I'm saying is that it is perfectly normal."

What is not perfectly normal is having this conversation in the café where he mother and colleagues might overhear something. She attempts to put an end to it.

"I don't need a man, Maura. I do perfectly fine by myself." Jane leans back into her chair, taking a sip of her coffee, trying to distance herself physically from the doctor, as well as from the conversation she is fully entrenched in at the moment.

"While masturbation is a perfectly normal bodily function, Jane, I think you're forgetting about the benefits of skin-to-skin contact which can enhance-"

"Oh for the love of God would you please stop talking!" Jane's eyes squeeze shut as she pinches her brow. "That is not what I meant." She exhales as she tries to relax, every muscle in her body tense at the moment.

Maura blinks, unsure as to why Jane is so prickly this morning.

Jane exhales again, head in her hands, and Maura catches the way her shoulders slump slightly. She looks defeated, and Maura can't tell if it's just the conversation that's making her shut down or if she really is at the end of her rope when it comes to finding a man.

Maura swallows slowly as she wavers on whether or not to bring up the subject she's spent countless nights considering. Her finger nervously runs along the top of her cup.

"Maybe you should think about expanding your pool of potential mates." She tries to keep her voice calm so Jane doesn't shoot out of her chair. "You could easily double the dating pool."

The detective's eyes narrow suspiciously as she raises her head to look at the smaller woman, "What exactly are you talking about, Maura." Her voice is cautious, clipped; daring the doctor to push further.

"I just think you should keep an open mind, Jane." Maura's eyes are on her coffee, avoiding the glare coming at her from the other side of the table. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it isn't a man that you need."

Jane's mouth is open, her eyes incredulous as she stares at the doctor a moment, too shocked to answer right away. She shakes her head slightly, trying to clear her mind.

"Okay, now I know you've been drinking. What did you put in that coffee this morning?" She motions towards Maura's drink with her head. "Do I need Susie to run some tests on that, Dr. Isles?"

Maura purses her lips, "Of course not," she reaches across the table and squeezes the detective's hand, "Jane, you deserve to be with someone who appreciates you. I just want you to be happy."

Jane half-snorts, "Yeah, like Tony makes you, huh?" The detective has yet to find one redeeming feature in that man. She has no idea why a genius like Maura Isles is wasting her time with him because it seems as though they have nothing in common.

Maura's lips curl up in a mischievous grin. "Well, I'm hoping he makes me happy, if you know what I mean. I'm thinking of sealing the deal with Anthony this weekend." She squirms in her chair slightly as she drops this bomb, and Jane can't help pulling a face as thoughts of a naked Tony in Maura's bed rapidly flash in her head.

"Jesus…I did not need to know that." Jane crosses her legs and looks off to the side, too grossed out at the moment to look at the beaming doctor. Apparently it wasn't his mind that Maura was interested in after all.

Maura chuckles and slaps at the detective's arm, "Just think about it, Jane." She pushes up out of her chair. "I need to get downstairs and finish some reports. Lunch this afternoon?"

Jane exhales, relieved that the conversation is over for now. "Yeah, sounds good."

* * *

The detective's eyes dart to the clock on the wall as her stomach growls impatiently once again. Maura hasn't returned her text, and Jane's liquid breakfast of coffee can't sustain her any longer. She pushes up out of her chair and throws her blazer over her shoulders, flicking the long dark hair over her back before tugging down the sleeves.

When she gets downstairs, she finds the morgue empty. All the lab techs have already gone to lunch as Jane strides across the length of the sterile room towards the doctor's office.

She leans in, grabbing onto the doorframe as she pops her head around the slightly open office door.

"Hey, you ready for lun..." Her voice trails off and she stops speaking as soon as she notices Maura is standing beside her desk, hand clutching the office phone to her ear, finishing up a call.

She's nervously pulling at the neckline of her blouse and leaning into the desk as if it is the only thing keeping her vertical.

"I look forward to it. Yes. Thank you." Maura says uncomfortably through a forced smile.

The detective can see the normally poised Medical Examiner falter, gripping the corner of her desk as if she is trying to hold it together for just a few more seconds while the caller hangs up at the other end of the line.

Jane watches as the phone slips from the doctor's hand, dropping into the cradle with a loud thud.

Maura melts into her seat, unable to stand any longer. She sits motionless as she continues to stare at the phone. Jane quickly makes her way around the desk to Maura's chair. Her hand immediately goes to Maura's shoulder to comfort the visibly upset doctor.

"Hey...what's up? Talk to me, Maur."

Hazel eyes turn to meet hers as she lets out a shaky breath.

"That was my sister. She wants to meet me tonight."

Jane nods, "That's good, Maur. Maybe Cailin is starting to come around." Jane tries to sound hopeful. Maura's half-sister has continued to shut her out of her life, even after the kidney transplant.

Maura slowly shakes her head, clearly in shock from the phone conversation. "No, not Cailin." She swallows before she can continue. She points at the phone as she tries to get her brain to form the words.

Jane quirks her head, confused.

"That…that was Anna on the phone. Jane...I…I have a twin sister."


	2. Chapter 2

Jane's eyes float from Maura's face down to the doctor's hands, which are uncharacteristically restless tonight. She reaches her hand out to still Maura's fingers, afraid that if she lets her fidget anymore, she's going to cause irreparable damage to a cuticle.

"Hey," her voice is soft as she lowers her head, trying to goad Maura into looking her in the eyes. It's the same gentle timbre she reserves for the interrogation room when she has the difficult task of interviewing a traumatized child. "Maur…it's going to be alright." She gives the doctor's hand a compassionate squeeze and smiles at the smaller woman, a crinkle creasing the corner of her eyes as she tries to reassure her friend.

Maura takes a breath and tries to relax. Her hands still under the weight of Jane's fingers, but the nervous energy just travels north to her mouth, where she unconsciously chews on her lower lip.

Jane's eyes instinctively flick down to the doctor's lips for an instance before she snaps her gaze back up to the troublesome hazel eyes trained in on her.

"Jane, what am I going to say to her?" The words are rushed and the pitch is too high. This woman, who is normally so composed, even when face-to-face with a serial killer, is starting to crumble right before Jane's eyes at the prospect of meeting her biological twin.

"Sweetie, it will be fine." The detective tries to stave off the inevitable panic attack that Maura is on the verge of having if she doesn't start to calm down soon. And she'll be damned if she's going to let that happen on her watch.

So much is riding on this meeting. It appears as though Anna maybe the one bright light left on Maura's biological family tree, untainted by the Doyle family heritage that has stained the other members of her family.

Each time a piece of the family puzzle has been revealed to Maura in the past, she's been let down: Her father, Patrick Doyle, is a mob boss. Her mother, Hope, brushes into her life long enough to ask for and receive her kidney for Cailin. And what thanks does she get for that? They hadn't so much as contacted her to see if she was doing okay after the surgery.

It pisses Jane off how poorly Maura has been treated by her biological family. She can't help but be a little skeptical of this sister, too. She's always been protective of Maura. Deep down she was glad when Maura had asked her to accompany her to this meeting.

Maura slides her hands out from under Jane's and rubs at her temples, trying to relieve some of the stress.

"Thank you so much for coming with me, Jane." She garners up enough energy for a small smile. She takes a small sip from the glass of wine on the table. She promised herself earlier that she would only have enough to take the edge off her nerves. She pushes the wine glass across the table to where Jane's beer sits, untouched. She silently slips her hands back under Jane's on the top of the table.

She smiles again at the warmth she finds in Jane's touch.

"Anything you need, Maur. You know that." Jane nods, happy that Maura entrusts her. "Did you let her know that I would be here with you?

"Yes. I texted her to let her know that you would be here, as well." Maura starts to turn towards the front door of The Dirty Robber when she hears the hinges creak, signaling someone's entrance. At the last moment she turns back around to look at Jane, panic clearly visible in her eyes.

"You look. I can't…I'm too nervous." She shakes her head, golden locks flipping around her shoulders.

Jane grins. It's cute, how anxious the medical examiner is about meeting her sister.

Jane cranes her neck to look around Maura and notices as two men make their way through the door.

"False alarm." She takes a small sip of her beer and places it back on the table next to the doctor's wine glass.

A thought strikes her, "Hey…how am I going to know it's her? I mean…is she going to look just like you?"

Maura cocks her head in thought, "I have no idea if we are identical or fraternal twins. I suppose we could look nothing like each other." She taps her lips as she thinks, "But I don't think we'll have any problem figuring out who she is. I told her it was quite possible that we would be the only two women at a table in here." Maura looks around the establishment. Even though they had attempted to make it into an organic restaurant, it was still predominantly a cop bar, filled with single men commiserating over the work day. Usually Jane and Maura were the only women in the place on a weeknight.

The door opens again and Maura stiffens. Jane looks, sees an off-duty uniform enter and shakes her head at the doctor. Maura leans back into her chair, relieved.

Jane taps her fingers on the back of Maura's hand, "Hey, what are you so nervous about, anyway? She can't be any worse than any other member of your family."

The doctor nods sadly in agreement. "You're probably right. She was so nice on the phone. I just have so much hope this time, Jane." She takes a deep breath and tries once again to relax. "She told me on the phone about growing up in the Northwest with her parents and a brother, and it just seemed so…so normal. Like how I always envisioned it would be if I ever found out that I had a sibling."

Maura's face is skeptical, but hopeful. She doesn't have to mention to Jane about the dead half-brother that found his way onto Maura's table a couple of years ago; his life already tainted by a life of crime at such a young age.

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Jane watches as the door opens, this time a slightly intoxicated patron leaving the bar.

"But I do worry," the doctor's voice is quiet and Jane can tell that something else has been troubling her. She motions her hand at the doctor, prodding her to continue her line of thought.

Maura's face looks painful as she blurts out, "What if you two don't like each other?"

Jane's eyes almost bug out of her head, "What?" She shakes her head to make sure she heard the doctor correctly, "Of course I'm going to like her, Maur. She's your sister!"

Maura reaches across the table and takes both of Jane's hands in hers, "Oh I hope so. I really do."

Jane hears the door open again, and this time she can't take her eyes off the woman that emerges from behind the door.

She's beautiful.

So, so beautiful.

She watches as the woman casually strides into the bar a few steps. Can't help but notice how the features are so similar to the doctor sitting across from her. Anna's hair is just a shade lighter and a little shorter than Maura's. The golden streaks of highlights visible in her hair are due to natural sun exposure, as evidenced by the golden skin on her neck and forearms. Flesh that the detective spends more time focusing on than she cares to admit.

Jane swallows hard as she notices the familiar curves when Anna turns to her side.

The detective watches how she nonchalantly glances around, her one hand resting in her pocket as the other hand rakes casually through the flowing hair that Jane is mesmerized by at the moment.

"Jane?" She realizes that this isn't the first time Maura has said her name. Her eyes snap over to the doctor.

"Yes?" Jane licks her lips, suddenly noticing that her mouth is bone dry.

"Is it her?" Maura's voice is full of hope.

Jane nods dumbly as her line of vision returns to the familiar stranger standing in the entryway. "Oh yeah…it's definitely her."

Just then, Anna turns and sees Jane looking at her. Immediately Anna's face breaks out in a warm smile and much to Jane's dismay, her hand slips out of her pocket as she waves a hello in the detective's direction before she starts walking over to their table.

"Here she comes," Jane says as she pushes herself up out of the booth. Maura slides out as well, too nervous to turn to take her first look at her sister.

Jane thrusts a hand out as Anna approaches. "You must be Anna. Hi…I'm Jane. Jane Rizzoli." Anna grips her hand and covers it warmly with her other hand as she gives Jane a hearty welcoming shake. "It's so nice to meet you." And she means it, but her attention is immediately drawn to the unusually quite woman standing next to her.

Jane slides over next to the doctor and places her hand at the small of her back, trying to nudge her into action just a little.

"And this chatterbox over here is Dr. Maura Isles." Jane smiles at both women, trying to lighten the mood. It works; Maura takes a gulp of air and lets out a breath.

"Just Maura…please." She shakes her head, slightly embarrassed at being so knocked off her game. She can't remember the last time she was so nervous meeting someone. She recovers enough to offer her hand in greeting.

Anna beams at her, clearly moved at meeting her twin at the first time. She takes one look at Maura's outstretched hand and instead of shaking it she steps in to give her sister a big tight, encompassing hug like they've know each other for years. She speaks directly into the doctor's hair through a big smile, "God, Maura…it is so nice to meet you."

Jane watches as Maura tentatively wraps her arms around Anna at first, but then practically melts into her sister's embrace. Anna's infectious personality won't allow the doctor to remain her normal, closed-off self.

Jane can't help but smile as she watches them greet each other for the first time. She lets her eyes slide down the back of Anna, along the stitching of her shirt and then down further, her eyes glazing over her ass slow enough she has an opportunity to memorize the texture on her trousers.

Jane blinks twice when she realizes she's been staring. Her eyes flash up to the sisters, but they are too engrossed in the moment to notice. _Thank God._

Anna peels her head back to look at her sister, "It's really you. I can't believe it." She finally let's go of Maura and slides into the booth. Jane motions for Maura to slide into the booth first, and Jane sits next to her so that they can both face Anna across the table.

Anna looks down at her watch and shakes her head slightly. "I'm so sorry I'm late. My flight was delayed and I had a little trouble getting checked into the hotel. I had to knock some heads around, but at least they found me a room for tonight." She winks at the women sitting across from her and chuckles at her own misfortune.

"No worries." Jane smiles. Something about Anna's demeanor makes Jane a little giddy. She thinks it's the fact that this woman, who looks so much like Maura, seems oddly different…in a good way. She's relaxed, totally comfortable in the presence of these two strangers. Unlike Maura, who is still a little painfully quiet next to Jane.

She reaches under the table and squeezes the doctor's knee, trying to get her to relax.

"Where did you fly in from?" Jane asks, trying to keep the conversation flowing while Maura still sits silently by her side.

"Brazil. I've been down there all summer. That's why I didn't get the messages."

"The messages?" Maura finally springs to life.

Anna nods, "Yeah, from a mob boss trying to requisition a kidney for his former lover's daughter." She smiles weakly and nods her head down to Maura's abdomen, "I'm guessing you beat me to it, huh?"

The same weak smile is mirrored back to her, "Yes. Yes, I did."

Anna leans forward and lightly taps the top of Maura's hand, "Well, if you ever need a spare…you know where to find me, okay?" Her smile is genuine and contagious. Jane seems to have contracted it, because a dopey grin covers her features as she watches the two women interact.

She catches herself zoning out again and clears her throat, hoping to learn more about this captivating stranger sitting across from her, "So…um…what were you doing in Brazil?"

"Ah," Anna smiles. "That's a rather long story." Her eyes float over to the barely touched wine glass and beer mug on the table. "I think I'll need a drink to get through it."

Maura jumps a little in her seat. "Oh, where are my manners? Let's get you a drink. The Merlot is a little chalky, but the house white isn't half bad."

Anna's eyes dart over to the bar. "You know," she wipes her hands along her thighs, clearly not wanting to make her sister feel bad, "I'd really rather have a beer." She turns to Jane, "Do they have any local craft beers here on tap?"

Jane's mouth drops open in surprise for a moment. Can Anna be more perfect? She snaps her jaw shut and has to blink once or twice before she can answer.

"Uh, yes…yes they do." Her face widens into a full smile. "Do you want to start out with the Pale Ale? We can work our way up the fuller beers after that if you'd like."

Anna's eyes brighten and she nods her approval, "Oh, yes. That sounds great. We have a lot to talk about. I'm not planning on leaving until we at least get to the stout."

Jane chuckles silently, "Okay. Hold tight. Lemme go get you one." Jane slides out of the booth, but pauses for a moment as she leans down to squeeze Maura's shoulder for encouragement and to whisper into her ear.

"Don't worry about me liking her. I think I love her."

With that, Jane straightens up and gives Maura a wink before she turns to head towards the bar. Maura smiles as she watches her walk away, glad that Jane is getting along so well with Anna. And what's not to love? Anna is so naturally open and warm, even Maura has started to feel her own social awkwardness start to melt away.

Anna watches as Jane makes her way to the bar to order her beer. Her eyes don't leave the detective's backside until she is halfway across the room, too fascinated by the sway of her hips and the bulge of the gun at her side. Finally, she breaks her gaze to look back to Maura.

"You didn't tell me your friend was a Greek goddess." Anna smiles, "That information would have made it easier to pick you two out in this place."

Maura laughs, "Don't let Jane hear you say that."

Anna watches as Maura checks on Jane with a quick look over her shoulder.

"So…how long have you two been together?"

Maura's hand instinctively goes to her chest, "Oh, no. We're not together. We're just friends."

Anna's head quirks in an all-too familiar manner, like there is no way she believes what Maura just said.

"No, really. She's my best friend." Maura answers.

Anna relaxes back into her seat and casually throws her arm across the booth. "Well, you must be very close."

"We are. She's like family."

Anna nods, a sad smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. She read about her sister on the flight to Boston, so she knows a little about her background. An only child of well-to-do parents, so different from her own upbringing in a middle class family with a brother and numerous cousins. She's thankful that she has Jane, at least.

"Well, how about we get to know each other a little better? I'll tell you about my crazy family in the Northwest, if you'll tell me about your family..." Her eyes flick over to the brunette as she makes her way through the crowd, a frosty pint in her left hand. "…and Jane."


End file.
